Half to alfred e



No. sumo. Patented not. 4, |898.

J. HuLME. I STDPPEB FOR BARRELS 0R KEGS.

(Application filed Feb. 17, 1896.)

(No Model.)

In ven/tor: Jrz'eS ffy/Z716@ UNITED STATES? .PATENT @Tricia JAMES HULME, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A SSIGNOR OF ONE- I-IALF TO ALFRED E. BURK, OE SAME PLACE.

STOPPER FOR BARRELS OR KEGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,910, dated October 4, 1898.

Application tiled February 17, 1896.` Serial No. 579,598. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES HULME, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin gin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented certain Improvements in Stoppers for Barrels or Kegs, of which the following is a specication.

One object of my invention is to so construct a valved stopper for beer or ale kegs or barrels that the same may be completely closed or may be so adjusted as to draw either from the bottom of the keg when the latter is lying horizontally or from the lower front corner when it is tilted upward at the rear end, so that in either case' the keg can be practically emptied by the spigot.

A further object is to permit of the withdrawal of the valve structure from the keg and its ready reapplication thereto, so as to aord the proper facilities for lining or pitching the keg without clogging the valved stopper.

These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a longitudinal section of a val ved stopper and spigot for kegs or barrels constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. i is a transverse section on the line A 4L, Fig. l. Figs. 5 and 6 are views on a smaller scale, illustrating the diiferent methods of using the valved stopper and spigot; and Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views illustrating modications of parts of the invention.

A represents part of the head or body of the keg, and B a permanent bushing screwed into the same, this bushing being internally threaded for the reception of a valve-casing D, which can be readily screwed into or unscrewed from the front end of the bushing, so that the entire valve structure can be removed from the barrel or keg when it is desired to pitch or reline the same.

The valve-casing D has a tapered internal seat for the reception of a correspondinglytapered valve-plug F, which is retained in position within the valve-casing by means of a nut a and washer a applied to the threaded inner end of said valve-plug, the front end of the plug having a recess for the reception of the T-head b of an operating-stem G, which passes through a stuffing-box at the outer end of a nozzle or spigot II. This nozzle or spigot is screwed into a threaded opening in the outer end of the valve-casing D beyond the end of the valve-plugv F, and the stem Ghas, beyond the spigot, a handle G,by which it can be readily manipulated.

A lug d on the valve-plug F is adapted to a segmental recessd, formed in the valvecasing D, so as to limit'the eXtent'to which the plug E can be turned.

In the valve-plug F are formed ports f and g, and in the valve-casing D are ports f and g, longitudinally in line with the ports f and g, respectively.

On the outside of the valve-easing D, between the ports f and g', is formed a thread to which is adapted an internal thread formed upon a draft-tube .L'which has two sets of openings'm and n formed 4in it, the openings m being at and near-'the' outer end of the draft-tube and in advance of its point of connection with the valve-casing D, while the openings n are at and near the inner end of the draft-tube.- That portion of the drafttube having the openings m therefore communicates with the ported portion f of the valve-casing, while the portion of the drafttube having the openings n communicates with the ported portion g of said casing. Hence if the valve-plug F is so` adjusted that its port f registers with the port f ot' the valve-casing the contents of the barrel or keg will be withdrawn through the openings m, while if the valve-plug is adjusted so that its port g communicates with the port g of the valve-casing the contents of the keg or barrel will be withdrawn through the openin gs n, it being understood, of course, that the ports f and g and the ports f and g/ are so disposed that both port-s cannot be opened at the same time and that both ports can be closed by an intermediate adjustment of the valve-plug. It will thus be seen that provision is afforded either for drawing the contents ofthe keg from the bottoni when the keg is horizontal and the valved stopper is applied to the side of the same, as shown in Fig. 5, or the contents of the keg can be withdrawn from the lower front corner when the keg occupies the IOO inclined position shown in Fig. G and the valved stopper is carried by the front head. I'Ience provision is afforded for practically emptying the keg in either case.

The openings m and n of the draft-tube I serve as strainers. Hence it is evident that they may be omitted where this function is not of importance. For instance, the tube J might terminate at the forward end in the threaded portion and it might be open at the rear endinstead of being perforated,as shown, for instance, in Fig. 7. Neither is it absolutely necessary to the broadest embodiment of my invention that the valve-plug should have two ports or that the ports of the valve plug and casing should be separated from each other longitudinally in order to provide for the attachment of the draft-tube J at a point between the two ports of the valve-casing. For instance, the latter ports may be diametrically opposed, as shown,respectively, at f2 and g2 in Fig. 8, for coperation with a single port i in the valve-plug, the valve-oasing having diametrically-opposed ribs or projections h intermediate of the ports f2 and g2 and forming a tight joint with the surrounding draft-tube J', thus forming two chambers, one communicating with the port f2 and the outer end of the draft-tube and the other communicating with the port g2 and the inner end of said draft-tube.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A valved stopper for barrels or kegs having, in combination, a valve-casing carried by the barrel or keg and having two ports, a valve ported so as to register with either of the ports of the valve-casing, one port being closed when the other is open, and a draft-tube projecting longitudinally beyond the valvecasing in line therewith and forming a close joint with said valve-casing between the ports of the same, whereby one of said ports must be supplied with liquid passing through said draft-tube, substantially as specified.

2. A valved stopper for barrels or kegs, in which are combined a valve-casing carried by the barrel or keg and having two longitudinally-separated ports, a valve-plug having ports adapted to register with those of the Valve-casing, one port being closed when the other is open, and a draft-tube extending inward from the valve-casing in line therewith and forming a close joint therewith between the two ports of the same, substantially as specified. i

3. A valved stopper for kegs or barrels, in which are combined a valve-casing carried by said barrel or keg, and having two ports, a ported valve-plug adapted to register with either of the ports of the valve-casing, and a draft-tube extending inward from the valvecasing and forminga close joint with the latter between the two ports of the same, said draft-tube being perforated at or near each end whereby the liquid gaining access to one port of the valve-casing will pass through one set of perforations, and that gaining access to the other port will pass through the other set of perforations, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES HULME. lVitnesses:

WILL. A. BARR, FRANK E. BEoHToLD. 

